Hors avec le vieux, en avec le vieux

Out with the old, in with the old
(((03)))

ninja abilities and subspace

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Les maîtres de samedi matin

Masters of Saturday Mornings
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"Absence and death are the same -- only that in death there is no suffering." ~ Walter Savage Landor

7OYSR3V1L

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M3G4TR0N

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"The ninth grade. I went from 5'9" to 6'8"." ~Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith (02.28.45 – 08.03.11) Rest in peace, Lt. Moses Hightower

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Home

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"I did do my own stunts." ~ Peter Michael Falk (09.16.27 - 06.24.11) Rest in peace, Lieutenant Columbo

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The Cult of (Cathode) Ray

Vol. 3

Green Street (2005) United Kingdom/United States

I got this movie on a whim and ended up really liking it. There are things here and there that cheesed it up but overall, the movie was enjoyable to watch and actually made me want to get tanked and watch football with my friends from the UK.

The movie starts very quickly, not a ton of back story to bore you to death before your interest is captured. It's about a poor little rich kid named Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood) who takes the rap for his dope-dealing collage roommate and gets kicked out of school. He uses this as an excuse to visit his sister in the UK where he meets her husband's brother, Pete (Charlie Hunnam), who is a Cockney thug who is persuaded by money to take Matt to a football game and get him out of the house. Matt meets Pete's friends, learns what Football Hooligans do, befriends everyone. You know the drill and you know how this story goes. But, it's not the story that is the real meat and potatoes of this pic, it's the cinematography, the directing and (from some) the acting.

The only person I couldn't stand and can't stand in anything in which I've seen her attempt to act is Claire Forlani as Shannon, Matt's sister. God, she just sucks the life out of every scene she's in. Thankfully, she's not in it much and doesn't manage to ruin an otherwise great film.

Elijah and Charlie are great as is Marc Warren as Steve, Shannon's husband. But stand outs are Leo Gregory as Bovver and Rafe Spall as Swill. You may remember Rafe from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. He's not overly prominent in this movie but he steals every scene he's in.

I liked this film a lot but director Lexi Alexander realy stunk shit up with Punisher: War Zone so I wouldn't advise going out and seeing anything else of hers without a little research. Green Street however... Get your hands on it! Rent it, Netflix it, buy it!

(((03)))

Creusé pour le Feu

Dug for Fire
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The Cult of (Cathode) Ray

Vol. 2.5

THE HANGOVER: PART II (2011) United States

Not a film about which I thought I would be writing and certainly not a film I thought I would use as a return to the theater. But, here we are and here I go. The movie was damn funny. This is dick and toilet humor, to be sure, but it's funny. Check your brain at the door because the only intelligent aspect of this film is Galifianakis spouting factoids about Thailand which may or may not even be true (feel free to check).

The cast, at it's core, are even funnier than before and the supporting cast, especially Paul Giamatti for his few seconds, were brilliant as well (brilliant used relatively). I will likely not need to tell anyone the premise, nor do I need to appeal to anyone who hasn't seen the first one as pretty much everyone but my grandfather, the preacher and his wife are likely to have seen it, and you're probably waiting for the crowds to die down for your trip to Part II so... maybe this is my chance to say that I saw it first (Friday Night) or maybe I want to put your fears to rest if you're wondering if they recaptured the magic this go 'round. They did, so... GO!

Post script: The film is the Hollywood debut of Mason Lee, son of director Ang Lee. And, everyone heard that lost-his-fucking-mind actor Mel Gibson was supposed to make a cameo... that role went to Nick Cassavetes who got it after Liam Neeson dropped out. Oh, the drama. This month, director Todd Phillips stated that a third film is being planned.

The movie has already destroyed records so it doesn't need my help. I just found it a pleasant surprise from what I thought would be a messy bore. It isn't, nor is it CITIZEN CANE. If you thought it might be, then you're type is the butt of every joke in this film.

See it!

(((03)))

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The Cult of (Cathode) Ray

Vol. 2

KICK-ASS (2010) United Kingdom/United States

When I learned that Matt Vaughn was attached to this film I didn't think for a moment that it would suck. However, Cage attached to pretty much anything now days can guarantee mass suckness. I braved the waters anyway as I am prone to do when I've heard good things and I was pleased at the outcome. KICK-ASS, based on the comic by Mark Miller, was fast-paced, funny and hyper-violent (except that all of it was done as only Vaughn could have, with so tact). Cage was acceptable but still over-acted. He is hardly the focus, though, so it's ok even though I felt much of the film was miss-cast. Aaron Johnson as Kick-ass and Chloë Moretz as Hit-Girl were perfectly cast as was Mark Strong as Frank D'Amico. The other roles were bluh or over-done (with the exception of Jason Flemyng as the Lobby Goon who appears twice for only a few moments but still demands your attention. It was HE who should have been Big Daddy! and Dexter Fletcher, whose death scene is that of legend, should have had a bigger role as well) and most of the minor characters just blend in. Which was, perhaps, the point.

My biggest "meh" of the film had to be Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist. Chris is good at what he does and doesn't even suck in this film (I am looking forward to his version of "Evil" Ed Thompson in the new Fright Night) but his performance is a little phoned-in. Maybe even more so than Cage's. Not enough to ruin the movie or the character. It's just... meh.

I love the film and am glad to own it. It's an over and over watcher with more good than bad. So if you haven't yet, see it. It get's my approval and my ownership.

Get your hands on it! Rent it, Netflix it, buy it!

(((03)))

...oops

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Yawm ad-Din

Thanks to Stuart Dahlquist
the Day of Judgement
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Gojira

I am really enjoying watching daikaijū films of late. I started with Gojira then moved on to Godzilla Raids Again, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster and All Monsters Attack. If you get a chance to watch these films, they are a great way to shut down and enjoy some silly sci fi. If you are a bit to anal and can't relax it once and a while, skip it and just wait for your miserable death.

(((03)))

The Cult of (Cathode) Ray

Vol. 1

This is a new feature to Caveat lector and it's called - The Cult of (Cathode) Ray (Yes, it is a shout-out to Black Francis). It's my attempt at reviews of this, that and the other on my TV. Sometimes "mainstream", sometimes "cult". Sometimes "old", sometimes "new", sometimes cinema, sometimes tube... what do they all have in common? They are all on my TV (via DVD or broadcast) and they have all been viewed by me. So like it or hate it... welcome to my TV Casualty (HA!).

THE QUIET EARTH (1985) New Zealand

I saw this movie in the late 80's while spending the weekend house/dog-sitting for some friends of my parents. They had one of those giant satellite dish set ups that looked like the rebel alliance along with a tribe of Ewoks might try to blow up... they were that big back in those days, kids. They had a ton of channels and one of them showed a film from NZ called, THE QUIET EARTH. No doubt, this is the kind of movie that young Peter Jackson used to cut his teeth before REALLY putting his home on the movie map.

The film starts much the same way that 28 Days Later does... but, that is where the similarities end. After roaming the streets of a deserted Earth and systematically losing his mind in the process, he begins to piece together what happened when he learns that he is not alone. As the others and he put 2 and 2 and .4358746 together, they start to figure out where everyone has gone... sort of. The end will have you saying to yourself, "um, what the fuck just happened?" and you'll love it.

The movie was based on the book of the same name by Craig Harrison who was making a joke about a New Zealand tourist who didn't know that New Zealanders take weekends off and felt abandoned and alone like the only person left on Earth. Its present-day offspring are many, but perhaps the biggest comparison has been made to the 1959 Harry Belafonte film THE WORLD, THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL, of which it has been called an unofficial remake (?!).

I have to point out that the soundtrack to this film is what got me into soundtrack and instrumental music. I have searched for a vinyl, tape of CD copy of it, to no avail. But it's REALLY good and very memorable.

The film is far easier to find now as part of the CULT FICTION film series (of which I will likely be reviewing more) so, get your hands on it! Rent it, Netflix it, buy it. This is a fine film that deserves more than it's cult status, but thank RAY it still has it.

(((03)))

Se reposer dans la Paix, M. Cooper

"If it's boring, then it's tiring." ~ John "Jackie" Cooper, Jr. (09.15.11 - 05.03.11) Rest in Peace
Rest in Peace, Mr. Cooper
(((03)))

Il n'est pas parti juste parce que vous avez oublié que c'était là

Agoraphobia - ăg'ər-ə-fō'bē-ə

n.

An abnormal fear of open or public places.

...it is NOT a fear of open spaces. People tend to forget an affliction like this. They think it may have gone away and pick up from where they left off before you were diagnosed. Never is this more prevalent than with those closest to a person who suffers from Agoraphobia. Especially if the person with it tries so hard to keep it from affecting them as to make it nearly unnoticeable. The fact is, people take it personally and make your inability to wander out even worse. So, for the sake of argument, here is a description of this terrible thing with which to try to live.

Agoraphobia is often called "fear of open spaces" but this description is simplistic and misleading.

Agoraphobia is like an unreasonable fear or anxiety associated with unfamiliar surroundings or situations, but this description also oversimplifies a complex issue. In some cases, agoraphobia arises associated with panic attacks from panic disorder, and the fear of places or situations occurs when these were the triggers of the panic attacks.

In other words, agoraphobia becomes like a "fear of having another panic attack" or a fear of anything or anywhere that might trigger a panic attack. A vicious cycle sets in where anxiety or fear of certain places or situations make a panic attack more likely to occur, which in turn raises the anxiety level. Whatever its description, agoraphobia can be not only emotionally stressing, it can actually become debilitating, leading to a life of self-imposed isolation.

Another misconception is that agoraphobia is a fear of "crowded spaces" (which would be the social anxiety disorder). Once again, an agoraphobic does not fear people: he or she rather fears an embarrassing situation with no escape. Some people with agoraphobia are comfortable seeing visitors, but only in a defined space they feel in control of. Such people may live for years without leaving their homes, while happily seeing visitors and working, as long as they can stay within their safety zones.

An agoraphobic may experience severe panic attacks in situations where they feel trapped, insecure, out of control, or too far from his personal comfort zone. During severe bouts of anxiety, the agoraphobic is confined not only to their home, but to one or two rooms and they may even become bed-bound until their over-stimulated nervous system can quiet down, and their adrenaline levels can return to a more normal level.

Agoraphobics are often extremely sensitized to their own bodily sensations, subconsciously over-reacting to perfectly normal events. To take one example, the exertion involved in climbing a flight of stairs may be the cause for a full-blown panic attack, because it increases the heartbeat and breathing rate, which the agoraphobic interprets as the start of a panic attack instead of a normal fluctuation.

People with severe agoraphobia develop the ability to avoid situations that may bring on an attack.

It didn't go away just because you forgot it was there

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Dire Non

Say No
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ma chère

My love is like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June
My love is like the melody
That's sweetly played in tune

So fair are you my dear
So deep in love am I
And I will love thee still, my dear
'til all the seas run dry

Until the rocks melt with the sun

And I will love thee still my dear
While the sands of life shall run
And I will come again my love
Though it were ten thousand miles

'til the seas run dry...

Verre Tigre

(GT)

She can take it back, she will take it back some day...

(PF)

Frank Frazetta (02.09.28 - 05.10.10)

"When it came to my art, I went my own way and did not follow the trends."

(((03)))

...you shouldn't've

You stir my natural emotions
You make me feel I'm dirt
And I'm hurt
And if I start a commotion
I run the risk of losing you
And that's worse

Ever fallen in love with someone?
Ever fallen in love?
In love with someone
Ever fallen in love? (Love…)
In love with someone
You shouldn't've fallen in love with

I can't see much of a future
Unless we find out what's to blame
What a shame
And we won't be together much longer
Unless we realize that we are the same

(B)

Where in the world have I been?

gypsy james reminded me that ive been absent from my blog for like... ever, (thank you james) well, i lost my job a few months ago and ive been discovering the world of too much time on my hands. ill be back soon. until then, its afternoon movies, visits from long losts and unemployment. (((03)))

L'enfer Piquant Familier

Barry couldn't help but dread what had become endless waiting. Minute by minute turned to hour upon hour. Days passed with no word. He'd been sure this time was different, that everything said was true, that every sentiment was from the heart. But alas, he felt the old familiar stinging hell of his absence in body and mind. She'd chosen everything else in the world.

He tried to pass the time with frivolous pursuits. Many volumes of ephemeral arcana lay beneath his eyes, read but not consumed. Many hours spent looking out into the distance at the world passing him by that didn't care. Another night had come. Where had the days gone? Why was this where he had ended up? Had everything lead to this? Surviving all he'd survived to watch everyone else have a life?

He viewed the darkness and welcomed the cold reality of where he was going. He'd given all and it was something no one else wanted. Why should he want it anymore?

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Personne Le ne Fait la Moitié aussi Bon que Vous...

...because I was thinking of you.
Nobody Does It Half as Good as You...
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Le Type Pire de Souffrir

“Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering.”

~ Paulo Coelho

Dans la mort il n'y a pas souffrir

"Absence and death are the same -- only that in death there is no suffering."

~ Walter Savage Landor